


Buoyancy

by Midna127



Category: Fire Emblem Musou | Fire Emblem Warriors, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Barbecue, Based on a YouTube comment, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, I wanted to get this out before the end of pride month, M/M, Near Death Experiences, One Shot, Secret Crush, Swimming Pools, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24990319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midna127/pseuds/Midna127
Summary: Amidst the scorching heat of a summer day, only one thing can burn brighter than the sun: a crush.Xander will have to keep himself afloat, even as insecurities about his romantic interest weighs him down.
Relationships: Marth/Sheeda | Caeda, Marx | Xander/Frederick, Odin/Zero | Niles
Kudos: 6





	Buoyancy

It's hard to imagine summer without some sort of barbecue and poolside fun. For many people, it's what first comes to mind when they think of the season, for better or for worse.

As gracious as the twin siblings Rowan and Lianna Miller were for inviting their closest friends over to their home for such a gathering, Xander wasn't as excited as his siblings were at the prospect of going.

"I can't wait!" Elise cheered as the family made their way to their car. "It's been a while since we've had a huge party like this, huh?"

"I think so," Camilla replied, opening the car door for her little sister.

Leo sighed. "As long as I don't get a sunburn, then I'll be fine."

"Are you going to be swimming then, Leo?" Xander asked as he started up the car.

The blonde shook his head furiously. "And risk getting harmed by the sun's UV rays? Of course not."

Xander chuckled. He himself was a poor swimmer, but wouldn't object to doing during intense heat. The car out of the driveway, and the Sinclair family headed to the home of the Millers.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××

Two young men stood on the house's porch. One of them, a brunette, politely rang the doorbell. Seconds later, a young blonde woman opened the door. "Oh great, you guys made it on time!" she looked outside. "Wait, where's Lissa?"

"Still in the car," the blue haired man responded. "She can't find her sunglasses."

"Ah," she replied. "Come on in."

The two followed the woman inside.

"Darios was the first to show up, but he probably only came for the Switch." She gestured towards the living room, where a raven-haired man was booting up a game boasting a large, eerie tower on the title screen.

"So, want me to show you guys around or something?" she asked the two men. "It's been a while since you've been here."

"Well, actually, Lianna," the brunette replied. "I was hoping to get started on the barbecue."

Lianna frowned. "Already? Frederick, you and Chrom just got here."

"I just wanted to get a head start on cooking, that's all," Frederick explained. "Besides, parties aren't exactly my thing."

"That's Frederick for you," Chrom joked. "Always trying to occupy himself."

Frederick blushed out of embarrassment.

"Well, I don't see why not," Lianna replied. "But don't be afraid to go in the pool later on, okay? I heard it's going to get really hot this afternoon."

The doorbell rang again. "I got it!" a blonde boy, Rowan, replied.

"Don't overwork yourself, okay?" Chrom asked Frederick.

Frederick nodded. "Of course."

"You guys seriously came in without me?" a young girl's voice came from the doorway. "Some brother you are, Chrom!"

"A-At least I didn't lock the car on you!" he stammered.

"I've been there," Rowan mumbled.

Lianna gritted her teeth. "It was an accident, Rowan!"

Frederick quietly left the room before he could hear any more yelling about being left inside of a hot car.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××

By the time everyone else arrived, so had the heat.

Elise, Sakura, Tiki, and Lissa were playing Marco Polo in the shallow end of the inground pool, while Azura floated in the deep end. A row of poolside lounge chairs were occupied by the older girls, including Lianna.

Hidden away from the sun's rays and underneath an umbrella sat Leo and Darios. The blonde was occupied with a bag full of books he had brought, while Darios was still playing on the Nintendo Switch.

Most of the guests, however, were busy playing a volleyball game.

And not far from the game was the grill, where Frederick was busy placing beef patties.

And of all the things for Xander to notice as he entered the backyard, the brunette was the first.

Xander had not spent much time around Frederick, but from what he could observe at the moment, Frederick was certainly well-built. Even with a shirt on, Xander could make out the details of his muscles.

And now the blonde was staring. He pretended to linger his gaze on the grill itself, hoping nobody noticed.

Xander and his family were aware of his sexuality, and very much accepting of it. A part of him knew that not everyone would be so kind, especially if he made the mistake of falling for a straight man.

"You alright?" a voice asked, startling Xander.

"Ah! Oh, Marth, it's just you," he replied. "Sorry, I was lost in thoughts."

The blue-haired man chuckled. "I can't wait to start eating soon. Lianna had asked me to check in on Frederick for her, so I should get going on that."

"Why don't I go for you?" Xander blurted. He felt a sudden chill rush down his spine. 'Shit.'

"You would?" Marth asked. "Thanks. I've been meaning to take a dip in the pool with Caeda." Before Xander could say anything else, Marth ran the other direction, where Caeda was cheering on the volleyball game.

Xander sighed. "If I do something stupid, I'm never going to forgive myself," he murmured. The blonde approached the grill, where Frederick continued to tend to the meat.

"Can I help you?" Frederick asked him, busily flipping the food.

"Yes, actually," Xander replied. "Lianna had asked me to check on you. Well, she asked Marth, but I decided to do it for him."

Frederick looked up from the grill. "Really?"

Xander tried not to blush. "Yeah, I wanted him to spend time with his partner." He paused. "Not to say that spending time with you is a burden. It'd probably be burdening you to have someone bother you right now, anyways. Like me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Xander noticed something whizzing directly towards the back of Frederick's head.

"Heads!" a redheaded tomboy named Hinoka shouted.

Xander bolted around the grill and caught the ball before it could make contact with Frederick's head.

"Gotcha," Xander muttered.

Frederick turned his head. "Thank you," Frederick told Xander. "How did you manage to do that so quickly?"

"Adrenaline?" Xander suggested. "I didn't want it to hit you, especially the back of your head."

Frederick smiled. "Thank you."

"Xander!" a silvery blonde man called. "You gonna return the ball or what?"

"Oh, right!" Xander replied, tossing the ball back. "Sorry, Takumi!" He turned back to look at Frederick, but the brunette was back to dealing with the food on the grill.

Xander shrugged and walked towards the pool. He wasn't planning on swimming, especially in the deep end, but he didn't mind the feeling of dipping his feet in.

He closed his eyes, taking in the cooling sensation. It almost took his mind off of his increasing thoughts of the brunette.

Almost.

Xander quickly looked back to look at Frederick, who was wiping the sweat off of his forehead. He lowered his arm for a moment before removing his shirt, looking exasperated by the heat.

Then heat rushed to Xander's cheeks. He was grateful that the grill didn't entirely obstruct his view of the man's body.

"Y'know, if you look at him like that any longer, he's going to notice," a voice teased.

Xander nearly jumped. "Niles! I wasn't- it's not what it looks like."

"Hey, having one eye doesn't make me blind, Xander," Niles frowned, pointing at his eyepatch. "Besides, even blind people could figure out you have the hots for Frederick."

The blonde scowled. "Niles, I'm not in the mood for this. Can't you go and tease Owain instead?"

"Flirting with your boyfriend isn't the same as teasing a lovestruck family friend."

"Even still." Xander rose from where he sat and began walking away. "I'm not going to deal with this today."

He could hear something get out of the water, followed by footsteps approaching him. "Come on, Xander," Niles said. "You know I don't do it to offend you. At least, not right now."

"Leave me alone," Xander stated, continuing to walk. He was hoping nobody was staring at him, or was able to overhear what they were saying. His mind became clouded with insecurity.

'What if Frederick's watching?'

'No, looking back would just make things worse for me.'

"Xander-"

"I SAID TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Xander quickly turned around.

Only for him to lose his balance on the puddle he was standing on, causing him to fall backwards into the pool. Though this was a better place to fall than the concrete, it was still dangerous.

Especially for someone who can't swim.

Xander struggled to make his way up towards the surface as he sank deeper and deeper into the fittingly named deep end of the pool. Unfortunately, he could barely do a doggy paddle.

'What did I do to deserve this?' he asked himself, attempting to use the last of his strength to save himself.

His vision began to fade out as his body became limp. He could barely hold his breath anymore.

As his eyes fluttered shut, a powerful force hit the water, which was the last thing Xander felt before losing consciousness.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××

Frederick the whole event unfold, down to the blonde man slipping into the pool.

Suddenly, the hamburgers not being cooked to perfection didn't matter to him.

The brunette bolted towards where Xander fell and dove into the water. He ignored the sudden cool rush as he swam closer and closer to Xander. Frederick was distraught to see the blonde's eyes closed. Holding him from behind, Frederick swam to the surface as fast as he could. The second his head became above water, he checked to make sure that Xander's was as well, which he was.

"Is he okay?!" Rowan called. By now, everyone's attention was on Frederick and the unconscious Xander.

Frederick looked at the blonde man in his arms. 'How long was he in the water for? A minute? Two minutes?' he thought, opening Xander's mouth.

The brunette turned Xander around and blew into his open mouth.

No response.

He blew again. And again. And again.

There was nothing.

'One more time,' he thought. 'I swear to the gods if we lose him now.'

Frederick blew into Xander's mouth once more, and was met with a series of coughs.

There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone in and around the pool.

"Frederick?" Xander asked, in between fits of coughing. "What happened?"

"We need to get you out of here, now," he replied. Frederick began to swim towards the shallow end, carefully towing Xander along with him. Marth, Ryoma, and Rowan gathered at the stairs of the shallow end.

Frederick soon felt his feet make contact with the floor of the pool.

"Do you think you're able to walk?" he asked. "I'll still hold onto you, if you'd like."

Xander nodded. "Yes. I'd appreciate if you did."

Helping Xander stand, Frederick wrapped his arm around Xander's waist, and the two walked towards the steps.

"Should we bring him inside?" Rowan asked. "I'm not sure if that'd be okay."

"If that will help him feel better," Frederick replied. He looked at Xander. "Will it?"

Xander shrugged. "I-I hope. I'm feeling nauseous."

"Alright, let's get him inside, then," said Marth.

With help from the others, Xander made his way into Rowan and Lianna's living room.

"Lay him on the couch," Rowan said. "I don't care if it gets wet, we have to get him down."

Ryoma ran into another room and returned with a small wastebasket. "Here, in case he throws up."

"Thank you," Xander moaned. "Don't worry about me, though. Go back to the barbecue."

"You sure?" Marth asked.

Xander coughed. "I'm sure."

"If you say so," Marth shrugged. He, Rowan, and Ryoma left the room, leaving behind Xander and Frederick.

"...is there a towel I can use?" Xander asked.

Frederick looked around the room. "Probably in the bathroom. Give me a moment." He got up and left the room, not caring if the floor was getting wet with every step he took.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××

He was alone with Frederick.

Of all the things to happen today, he didn't expect any of this.

'Should I say something?' Xander thought.

"Do you care if it's a bathroom towel instead of a beach towel?" Frederick called from another room.

"No!" he replied. "It's fine!"

'Is anyone in the house? Nearby? Would somebody hear us?'

He heard footsteps approach him. "I found two for us," Frederick said. He handed Xander a large, white towel.

"Thanks."

Xander was a bit more dry than before, but still needed to use it. He began to dry himself off, trying not to watch Frederick do the same.

'If you're going to say something, do it now.'

"I'm sorry for causing any sort of problems," Xander said. "I wasn't planning on swimming in the deep end to begin with. I'm a terrible swimmer."

"You didn't drown on purpose," Frederick pointed out. "The only people who do are trying to get saved by the lifeguards they find attractive."

Xander's face grew red. "Exactly."

"Why are you blushing?" Frederick asked, stepping into Xander's line of sight. "Are you all right?"

"I- No, I'm still feeling nauseous."

Frederick sighed. "I see. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Some water, please."

"Of course."

Xander waited until Frederick was in the kitchen, and then took a deep breath.

'Worst case scenario, he'll think it's a side-effect of the incident.'

"Frederick?" Xander asked.

"Yes?"

"What if someone were to be saved by their crush, but never intended for it to happen?"

Frederick walked back into the living room, a glass of water in hand. "What do you mean?"

"Like, how people purposely drown to get the attention of their crush. What if someone drowned, were saved by their crush, but didn't plan on drowning to begin with?"

"I see," Frederick said. "For example, a tall, stern, but caring blonde accidentally slipped and fell into a pool, then someone who happened to be their crush stopped everything he was doing to save him." He handed Xander the glass of water. "Something like that?"

Xander accepted the glass and smiled. "Yes."

The two stared at each other in silence.

"I'm sorry," said Xander.

"For what?"

Xander sighed. "I made things awkward, didn't I?"

"For yourself, maybe, but it honestly made my day," Frederick replied.

The blonde looked at Frederick in shock.

"I'm not a party person," Frederick continued. "But I was hoping that we'd be able to spend at least some time together. I know neither of us expected what happened, but part of me is happy that it did. I'm not sure if I would have been able to confess to you like we are now."

Xander sat up. "So what do we do now?"

"That depends. What do you want to do?"

"We could e-" Xander gasped. "The food!"

"I didn't forget about it, but unless someone stepped in, then there's no meat to eat," Frederick admitted.

Xander shrugged. "It's all right."

"Did someone say 'eating meat'?" a teasing voice said. Xander and Frederick turned to see Niles, who was holding a tray containing hamburgers. "It only takes a near-death experience for two people such as yourselves to get it on."

"That will do, Niles," Xander replied.

Niles placed the tray onto the coffee table. "Fine. I'll leave you two to it, then." He smirked and left the house.

"Well," said Frederick. "At least we now know what happened to the food." He sat next to Xander. "Anything else I can get you?"

Xander blushed. "A kiss and some plates, please."

Frederick kissed Xander's lips. "I'll get right to it, then." The brunette got up and left the house.

Xander exhaled loudly. "This is happening. I can't believe this is happening."

"Can't believe what?" a voice asked. Xander turned around and gasped.

"Oh, Darios! I didn't know you were there. I'm sorry."

Darios shrugged. "It's fine. I just came here to charge the game pad." He sighed. "I'm so happy I managed to make it to the eighth floor. The director's my favorite."

Xander chuckled. "I guess we both got what we wanted today, then."

And there was nothing else in that moment that Xander wanted.

Besides, of course, those plates.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if the last names sound weird, I wanted to stick to the AU and make the characters more authentic because of it.
> 
> Also if anyone caught onto the minor crackship references, I'm sorry for that too. Other than that, the fic is meant to be serious.
> 
> Happy pride month, if you're reading this during it!


End file.
